Retort.



PATENTBD JUNE 16, 1 908. G. F. MOKBNNA.

RETORT APPLIOATION FILED APR. 22, 1903. RENEWED SEPT. 30, 1907 mm mmwqnot be tapering.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. MCKENNA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RETORT.

Application filed April 22, 1903, Serial No. 153,761.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. MOKENNA, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State ofNew York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Retorts,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for separating those constituents ofsubstances which may be driven off by heat from those constituents whichare not vol'atilized, vaporized, or otherwise driven off or separated bythe heat actually employed, and is appli cable alike in the arts and thelaboratory.

Among the objects of the invention are the control of the degree of heatused, the collection of the gases or liquids evolved, the measurement ofthe'volume or amount of the evolved gases, the use of a neutral gas orvapor, the creation of a vacuum prior to or during the evolution of thegases, the avoidance or promotion of combustion, and other obj ects, aswill appear hereinafter.

To these ends, the invention consists of features of construction,arrangements, and combinations of devices hereinafter described and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

One form of the invention is embodied in the apparatus illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in whichFigure 1 is a general view of the apparatus, showing the various partsthereof in elevation; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the heatingchamber shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a diagram of the electricconnections.

In the drawing, the reference a designates a heating chamber which, inthe instance shown, comprises a vessel l) and a covering and detachabledome c, the vessel 1) being shown as integral with the column (Z, which,in. turn, is suitably supported by a base 6. Within the chamber a andpreferably wholly Within the vessel 1) is a coil f of platinum or otherwire arranged to receive and retain the substance which is to be heated,as by having the bottom, or even the whole, of the coil taperingdownward. Or the substance to be heated may be placed in an asbestoscone, and the cone be placed in and be supported by the coil in thelatter case, the coil need The terminals of the coil f pass out throughthe column d, being cov- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1908.

Renewed September 30, 1907. Serial No. 395,181.

ered in whole or in part with insulation 9, and being sealed where theypass from the column d. From the column d, the terminals pass to bindingposts 11. Or a suitable cement h may be used to render the bottom of thevessel air-ti ht, the said terminals pass ing through sud h cement sealin such case.

By preference, the vessel 5 has one or more inlet pipes or tubes 7c,each of which is provided with a stop-cock Z whereby the chamher a maybe filled with a neutral gas or vapor, or may be exhausted ashereinafter set forth.

The dome c and the vessel 1) have meeting flanges m a, which are fittedtogether in an air-tight manner, and these flanges may be clamped orotherwise fastened together in any suitable manner. In the particularinstance shown, these flanges are grooved at 0 79 to aflord a betterhold to a clamping device. In some cases, such clamping device mayconsist of pairs of pivoted jaws held together by springs (not shown).

At the top of the dome is an outlet pipe or tube g which may beconnected with some suitable form of gas receiver, and which may have asuitable stop-cock therein (cock not shown). In the particular instanceshown, the tube 9 is connected by a flexible tube with a burette 1",there being a stopcock 8 at the upper end of the burette.

Reference t designates a tube which, like the burette, is shown as beingmounted in or on a suitable stand. The lower ends of the tube andburette are connected by a flexible tube a, whereby a fluid in the saidparts may flow from one to the other, and whereby the same level of suchfluid may be maintained in both tube and burette as the gases enter atthe top of the burette and force down the fluid therein.

The reference 1) marks an ammeter; w, a rheostat having its resistanceadjutable as usual; at, a switch for throwing current off and. on; andy, wires for connecting the parts electrically. Current may be takenfrom commercial mains, or from a battery or generator 2.

The substance which is to be subjected to the action of heat is placedin the coil f, either with or without an asbestos cup or cone lining tosaid coil, after which the dome c is put in place in an air-tightmanner, and clamped down if desirable. If the substance to be heated isinflammable, or if it is so desired for any reason, the chamber a may befilled with a gas which will remain neutral; this may be doneconveniently by introducing such gas or vapor through the tube While theair is allowed to escape from the tube 9, after which the cock Zisclosed and the tube g is connected with the burette. The level of thefluid in the burette may be brought to the top of the burette by openingthe cock 8 and raising the tube t properly; or the fluid level in theburette may be brought to any predetermined or initial mark in the sameWay, and the levels of the fluid in the tube and the burette may be kepteven during the collection of gas in the top of the burette by graduallylowering the tube during the collection thereof. YVhen current is turnedon, the coil quickly rises to the desired degree of heat, the rheostatbeing employed to regulate the amount of current. The substance in thecoil is heated by contact or by radiant heat, and may be brought toincandescence in a very short time, giving ofl' gases the while. Thecurrent is turned oil when gases cease to be evolved or when it isdesired to stop their evolution. The evolved gases are collected in theburette, and their volume is easily ascertained by reading the scale onthe gas-receiver.

If it is desired to create a vacuum in the chamber a and to maintain thesame as far as possible so that the substance to be heated shall be in avacuum or under reduced pressure, a vacuum pump may be attached to thetube is, the cock Z being open, and the tube q being closed. By creatinga vacuum in the chamber before current is turned on, and

then collecting the gases as above described in the receiver or burette,combustion may be avoided. It is obvious that a neutral gas or vapor mayreplace the air in the chamber a before heating takes place, andcombustion thus be avoided. It is also obvious that acombustion-supporter may be introduced through the tube 7c and thatcombustion may take place under pressure within the chamber. It isobvious, also, that the coilfmay be bare of, or be covered by,insulation, and that such covering insulation may itself form a cup orholder for the substances to be heated, the conductor being embedded insuch insulation or otherwise in such case.

While I have described a particular form of the invention and have shownan apparatus embodying such form, it is to be understood that theprinciple of the invention may be embodied in other forms withoutdeparting from the scope of my claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates isl. The combination of a closed chamber comprising a vessel anda removable cover therefor, an electric heater Within said chamher, agas receiver, and tubular connection between the cover of said chamberand said receiver, substantially as described.

2. The combination of an upright column having a vessel at the topthereof, and a cupped electric heating device at the top of said column,the terminals of said heater passing out through the said column, with aremovable cover for said vessel.

3. The combination of a vessel, an electric heater and holder within thevessel, the terminals of said heater passing out through the bottom ofthe vessel, an inlet tube provided with a stop-cock, and a dome or coverfor said vessel, said dome or cover having an outlet for the vessel orchamber, substantially as described.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this18th day of March, A. D. 1903.

CHARLES F. MGKENNA.

I Witnesses: v

R. W'. BARKLEY, FRANK RYALL.

